A Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Clement Eledi has said that the influx of cattle from neighbouring countries and the attendant destruction of life and property had become a national security issue. "Presently, discussions are on-going under the headship of the National Security Council to find out how best the situation can be contained, especially when our own livestock are sometimes also involved," he told Parliament in response to a question on plans to check the influx of these cattle and the havoc involved. He said the goal of all ECOWAS countries, except Mauritania, was to foster economic integration and this had led to the free movement of people, goods and livestock. "In pursuance of this objective, the heads of state of member countries signed a protocol in 1998 that grants easy movements to owners of herds and flocks of livestock to facilitate seasonal migration across the common borders of these countries." "As a result of this protocol, Ghana has for sometime now been battling with the influx of these livestock from member countries," Mr Eledi added. He said discussions, led by the National Security Council, would establish some secured areas where communal grazing grounds could be sited with various interventions such as the fencing of demarcated area, provision of water and anti-bushfire campaign in focus. He said two locations, Mame Krobo in the Afram Plains and Dawadawa in the Kintampo North District have been earmarked for the project. In response to another question on why work at the Tanoso Dam site in the Techiman South Constituency had come to a standstill, the Deputy Minister said an audit on aspects of the project stalled work but the project would soon resume and be completed this year. Source: GNA